Casco Viejo, Panama

Casco Viejo
Historic District of Panama City
Casco Viejo Street
Casco Viejo
Coordinates: 8°57′09″N 79°32′06″W / 8.95250°N 79.53500°W / 8.95250; -79.53500Coordinates: 8°57′09″N 79°32′06″W / 8.95250°N 79.53500°W / 8.95250; -79.53500
Country	Panama
Province	Panamá
District	Panamá
City	Panama City
UNESCO World Heritage Site
Official name	Archaeological Site of Panamá Viejo and Historic District of Panamá
Type	Cultural
Criteria	II, IV, VI
Designated	1997 (21st session)
Reference no.	790
Extension	2003
State Party	Panama
Region	Latin America and the Caribbean

Casco Viejo (Spanish for Old Quarter), also known as Casco Antiguo or San Felipe, is the historic district of Panama City. Completed and settled in 1673, it was built following the near-total destruction of the original Panamá city, Panamá Viejo in 1671, when the latter was attacked by pirates. It was designated a World Heritage Site in 1997.^[1]

History

Panama city was founded on August 15, 1519 and it lasted one hundred and fifty-two years. In January 1671, the Governor Juan Perez de Guzman had it set on fire, before the attack and looting by the pirate Henry Morgan. In 1672, Antonio Fernández de Córdoba initiated the construction of a new city, which was then founded on January 21, 1673. This city was built on a peninsula completely isolated by the sea and a defensive system of walls.^[2] Today this place preserves the first institutions and buildings of the modern city of Panama. It is known as Casco Viejo (Spanish for Old Town).

Main sights

• La Catedral Metropolitana is the main Catholic temple in Panama city.
• El Palacio de las Garzas, is the governmental office and residence of the President of Panama.
• Church and Convent of Saint Francis of Assisi.
• Church of San José
• Church of La Merced
• Church and Convent of Santo Domingo: The Flat Arch
• Church and convent of the Society of Jesus.
• Palacio Municipal, which dates from the beginning of the 20th century.
• Palacio Nacional
• National Theatre of Panama
• Panama Canal Museum
• Palacio Bolívar
• Góngora House
• Plaza Bolívar
• Plaza Herrera
• Plaza de Francia
• Plaza de la Independencia

Gallery

References

External links

• Official website (Spanish)

Spanish / Hispanic Colonial architecture
Bigger Historic Centres	Antigua Guatemala Bogotá Buenos Aires Campeche Cartagena de Indias Cienfuegos Coro Cuernavaca Cusco Guanajuato Havana León Los Angeles Lima Manila Mexico City Montevideo Morelia Oaxaca Old Panama Panama City Puebla Quito San Diego San Juan San Miguel de Allende Santo Domingo St. Augustine Trujillo Vigan
Spanish Missions concentrations	List of Spanish missions
Cathedrals	Argentina Bolivia Chile Costa Rica Colombia Cuba Dominican Republic Ecuador Guam Guatemala Honduras Mexico Nicaragua Panama Paraguay The Philippines Peru Puerto Rico United States Arizona California Louisiana San Antonio Uruguay Venezuela
Churches and monateries	Bohol Chiloé Popocatépetl
Fortresses	Santo Domingo North American Presidios Spanish Italian Presidi
Bridges and roads	Camino Real de Tierra Adentro Tayabas
Other buildings types	Hacienda Haciendas in the Valley of Ameca Cabildo Colonial universities in Hispanic America Colonial universities in the Philippines Plaza
Architecture types	Baroque Andean Baroque Churrigueresque Earthquake Mexican Colonial Chilotan Monterey Colonial Renaissance Rococo Neoclassical
Modern Revival Style	Spanish Colonial Revival architecture Mission Revival architecture
Category